


Can we bury our hatchet?

by UnofficiallyA



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Bad Parenting, F/F, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Slurs, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, but only in the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 19:34:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17814197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnofficiallyA/pseuds/UnofficiallyA
Summary: Her father was calling her in, had already enrolled her in the military academy, and booked her flight for next month. She would be heading to DC, a very long way away from National City, and she didn't know how long she'd be staying there.How can two people disconnect entirely and still find their way back to together?





	Can we bury our hatchet?

Grumbling, Alex rolled out of bed, her alarm summoning her from across the room. Tripping out of her bed, her foot tangled in the sheet as she leant across the space to turn off blaring noise before righting herself and hitting the button. She yawned, stretched her back and cracked her knuckles, as her vision focused as she basked in the peaceful silence. A few precious seconds before a blonde battering ram toppled Alex back onto her bed with a squeal.

"Happy Birthday," Kara squealed, as Alex pushed her off with a yelp of pain. "How does it feel to be 18?"

Alex grabbed her ribs, a loud, fake, groan of pain as she clutched her ribs. "Like bruised ribs."

Alex held back a laugh as Kara's demeanour changed quickly, her entire body dropping. Alex kept her heartbeat stable, as she watched Kara drop her glasses to check the damage. Shifting to the edge of the bed before Kara realised what she was doing. With a sudden yell, she leapt off her bed tearing down the halls, teasing Kara as the younger girl gave chase. Kara could catch Alex in a heartbeat, but due to the special day, Alex felt she might get lucky.

"Alex," the blonde whined, "That was mean."

As Alex skidded to a halt in the lounge room, she grinned at Kara. "I think it was funny."

"Well, regardless, I want to know what it says." Kara pouted, blinked her crystal blue eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, feigning confusion as she flopped onto the couch. "Did something come in the mail?"

"Alex." Kara splayed herself dramatically on the one seater couch, her legs hanging over the backrest as her head dangled and she blinked her eyes at Alex.

Alex grinned at the annoyed tone, excited by the mark she knew would sit just below her elbow. It was her 18th birthday, and she was thankful that she had been born in the wee hours of the morning. Waiting all day would have a been a nightmare, not that falling asleep had been much easier. She wondered if she'd already met them, if the next time she spoke one of her friends, it would be the words on her arm. A rush of fear shot through her as she started to roll up her sleeve, what would happen if they didn't get along? It wasn't uncommon for people to not end up with their soulmate, for a variety of reasons and Alex couldn't help the seeds of doubt in her mind. That they wouldn't be compatible, that she would be alone for the rest of her life. Although, being the crazy cat lady who gave out the best Halloween candy did have a certain appeal to it, she wanted more.

She took a moment to centre herself, deep breath in and released slowly before she looked at the words that would affect the next chapter of her life.

_I can't believe Dumbledore died like that. It was so stupid._

_Anyone ever tell you, all you Feds sound the same? It's like you all watch the same bad movies together at Quantico._

The handwriting was different, she registered. Two separate lines of handwriting, with very different contexts. She wondered what it meant if the system had broken somehow. Apparently, she joined the Bureau. She wondered how that happens, her current degree leading her into lab work. Kara's exclamation pulling her from her thoughts.

"No!"

"Asshole," Alex muttered, before looking up at Kara, who looked like she either about to cry or implode. Alex read over the words once more. "I can't believe it. What are the odds?"

"Dumbledore can't die!" Kara had quite obviously lost all interest in the actual mark now, and Alex sighed, knowing this was going to eat at her sister for the rest of the day. "I'm not reading any more books."

"You don't have to, I'm sorry I spoilt the series for you."

"No, it's not your fault," Kara glanced up, shrugging sadly. "There's nothing you can do about it. Why are there two lines?"

"I don't know," Alex ran a finger across the second line. "I'll have to ask mum when she gets up."

Alex wandered into the kitchen, wondering what breakfast Eliza would make her today. Every year she could remember, her parents had made her a breakfast spread, with all her favourite foods. Pancakes and waffles and crepes that she always ate too many of and when Kara had joined them the spread only got bigger. Eliza had thrown herself into work the next year, with Jeremiah's death taking a toll on the family. Alex picked up the slack, adjusting to taking more responsibility with Kara easily. She loved the younger girl with her whole heart and would do anything to protect her. The broken arm combined with a two-week suspension had lead to an hour-long argument with Eliza was proof of that. She had a reputation at school now, and nobody picked on the younger sister of Alex Danvers, so she knew it was all worth it.

There was a lack of noise in the house, and it was more feeling than anything but she knew. She saw the note a minute later when she stood to grab a drink from the kitchen. On the kitchen island, weighed down by an apple was two hundred dollars and a note.

**Dear Alexandra,**

**Happy 18th! Wishing you a wonderful day from the operating room.  
** I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, but you should go to that nice dinner for breakfast.  
I've called into school for you and Kara, you can spend the day doing whatever you want.  
Don't forget to take her to soccer practice later, and have a wonderful day!  
Love,  
Mum 

Alex fought back the tears at the note, as she took the bills, cursing the woman who was supposed to be raising her. Taking a minute as she poured a glass of juice, glaring at the glass as she poured, trying to get her emotions under control for her sister. "Alex, I just checked Eliza's room-"

Alex thrust the note at her, biting her cheek as she shrugged. "She had people to save. I can't be mad at that."

"She's an idiot." Kara murmured, pulling Alex into a hug. Alex felt tears slip down her face as she clutched Kara, her arms wrapping tighter as her shoulders shook. After a few minutes, she felt the tears slow and she let go of Kara, wiping her face roughly. "Well, at least we get a day off school. We can do whatever you want to do."

"How about we get takeout from that dinner and hire some movies? There's that new horror movie I've been meaning to watch." Kara visibly shuddered, but she shook her head and put her hands on her hips. Alex had to stifle laughter as the most determined look came onto Kara's face.

"That sounds wonderful, I can't wait."

"Nice try sis," Alex nudged, before glancing at her pyjamas and shrugging. She didn't have it in her to change, and she knew exactly how to get Kara to not care. "We can get a rom-com as well if you don't mind me going in PJ's?"

"Done." Kara was in the doorway, literally before Alex could blink. "Let's go."

Alex chuckled as she followed her sister out the door, grabbing her keys from the table as she passed it. The disappointment was suffocating her, the fact that her little sister was more excited to spend a birthday together than her mother was. She slipped into the driver's seat, before thinking for a few seconds, unable to shake the feeling she was missing something.

"My wallet," Alex grimaced, but Kara disappeared for 2 seconds and reappeared and handed it to her with a grin. "Thanks. You are so useful sometimes."

"Hey!" Kara protested, and Alex laughed as she pulled out of the driveway. Teasing and poking fun at Kara until they pulled into the parking lot of a small diner, that had the best breakfasts in town. Walking into the establishment, she took a deep breath of the grease filled air. The sizzling of the pan and the low conversations taking away all negative feelings, even at the odd looks they got from a few patrons. Alex ignored them, walking up to the counter and ordering one of every food item listed, except for the double order of hash browns. Two chocolate milkshakes for Kara and as Alex scanned the list it hit her. She was eighteen, and she no longer had to rely on her shitty fake ID to get her alcohol.

Ordering the baileys milkshake in PJ's before noon was probably a bad idea, as the waitress gave her a look. It was disappointing when she didn't get carded, but Alex handed over the money, joining Kara at the small booth while they waited for the food to be cooked. 20 minutes later they walked out with 4 bags filled to the brim with food, sipping on milkshakes as they got back in the car.

"I'm buying us alcohol." Alex grinned at Kara, who sighed. Pulling the fake ID out of her wallet, she snapped it in half. "I'm an adult now, you see."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see you snapping a fake ID." Kara dropped her head into her hands, and Alex couldn't help but laugh. "My sister is a good person, doing illegal things is okay every now and then."

"Today is going to be the best birthday ever," Alex exclaimed, starting the car with a whoop and pulling out onto the main road. Kara laughing as she flicked on the radio, some nameless top 40 song blasting out and they both attempted to sing along despite not knowing the words. The 5-minute drive to the video store had Kara finishing two burgers with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I was hungry."

"Don't apologise, however" Alex pointed at Kara, her eyes burning. "If you eat a single hashbrown before we get home-"

"I won't. I promise." Kara grinned and stepped out of the car. Pulling the door open, Alex waved Kara through, a chuckle as she watched her sister beeline to the romance section. She never understood her sisters' fascination with those movies. They all followed the same boring format and Alex often felt bad for the women who were regarded as nothing more than a prize to be won. She searched the new releases until she found the new slasher flick she wanted to see, and turned around to see Kara holding up no less than 7 DVDs.

"No," Alex waved a hand to stop Kara's protesting. "3. No more."

Kara thought for a moment, carefully juggling the cases while she chose the ones she wanted to keep. She nodded, and she put back most of the stack before handing Alex three movies. Alex just laughed at the dejected look on her sisters face as she pulled out nightmare on elm street. "You already have one scary movie, why do you need two?"

"Why do you need three movies?" Alex asked, not waiting for a response as she moved up to the counter. "Winn, how's it going?"

"Not to bad, seeing the infamous Alex Danvers in penguin pyjamas-" Winn shut up at the glare Alex sent him, he took the movies and lit up at the top movie. "Nightmare on Elm, classic."

"Does it live up to the hype?" Alex pulled out her membership card as Winn checked each DVD for scratches, Kara bounding over with a pout on her face and a Disney movie in her hands. Alex passed money to Winn without even looking at the case. "No, Kara, what did I say?"

"Three movies, you know what scary movies do to me and I know it's your birthday but-"

"Happy birthday!" Winn cut in, thinking for a second before taking the movie from Kara. "You know what, it's on the house, a one time only birthday special."

"Winn, you don't have to-"

"Nope, it's already done." Winn handed the movie back, along with some change and Alex smiled gratefully at the boy.

"You are the best, Schott, you know that." Winn preened at the compliment and laughed as Kara pulled him into an awkward hug over the counter.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"And on that note, we'd better be off. I'll be back tomorrow?"

"I'm on in the evening," Winn waved as Kara shot out the door, waving Alex along impatiently. "You'd better get going, enjoy the movies."

Alex gave Winn a wave as she let the door swing shut, a smile on her face even as she looked at the cover. The little mermaid, of course, it was a musical. Alex loathed to admit it, but she enjoyed the movie, and the music was catchy, not that she would ever admit that to Kara.

She tossed Kara her keys and passed the movies over carefully. The shop was across the road and she felt like celebrating her 18th the proper way, getting blackout drunk. "I'm grabbing the drinks now, so don't eat everything while I'm gone."

"No promises," Kara called back, moments before the automatic door shut behind her. She chuckled, hoping it was a joke this time and she wasn't making a mistake leaving the hungry alien in a car full of food. Moreso she hoped Kara would respect the sanctity of her birthday and leave her favourites. She grabbed a basket, taking her time now that she didn't have the worry that she was going to be caught out. It was a nice feeling as she grabbed a more than a few over sugared drinks that had a ridiculous alcohol content, one decent bottle of scotch, and a few cheap desert wines that she thought Kara might enjoy.

"That'll be $120." The cashier chuckled at Alex wince at the large number as she forked out the money, making sure it was from the money her mother had left her. "Big night tonight?"

"It's my 18th so," Alex shrugged, as the man grinned at her as he placed the drinks in a small box.

"Happy birthday then, but haven't I seen you in here before?"

"And on that note," Alex smirked, grabbing the box off the counter. "Thank you, kind sir."

Laughter followed her out the door as she left. Crossing the road, she slipped the box into the backseat and joined Kara in the car. Driving home only took 10 minutes, but the fort they constructed in the spare room took almost an hour to create, even with a super-powered alien.

It might have been because the super-powered alien got over excited and caused catastrophic collapses before Alex managed to wrangle her away from the pile of blankets. Progress was considerably smoother and the blankets attached to the cupboard handles stretched to the end of the spare bed. At the smallest point Alex could sit comfortably, so she took that as a win.

"Kara, you can bring the food now," Alex smiled at the yell of excitement before she remembered one key thing. "No super speed in the fort!"

"Okay," Kara called back, before floating through the entrance, the four bags in her hands, the box of alcohol resting on her thighs, with an assortment of snacks and drinks they had in the house balanced on her stomach. Alex gave her an unimpressed look, as she carefully piled the food in front of the pile of blankets. "What, I didn't use super speed?"

Alex sighed, before finding one of the watermelon flavoured drinks. Cracking it open she toasted to the sky. "To new beginnings."

"We are watching your scary movie second." Kara said, after cracking open a juice box and toasting with Alex. "Non-negotiable."

"Fair as long as it's not the little mermaid."

"Fine," Kara sighed, putting the case down and slipping in some meaningless romance movie that Alex zoned out of five minutes into it. Her hand fell to the mark on her arm, questions rolling in her head. Were two people destined to be her soulmate? Was that even a thing that could happen? What if someone changed their tone, their handwriting changed as well?

Wishing she knew more about the anomalies that popped up, she didn't have any answers to the questions. She kept sipping on the drink, as her fingers traced the words. It didn't matter if she had one or two soulmates, she decided, spoiling a series was one of the cardinal sins. Even accidental spoilers that hadn't been released in print.

She couldn't help but wonder who had her words. The first words she'd speak to them, on display until the day she died. It was an obscure concept to grasp even having grown up with it, much less explaining that one-day words would appear on her arm and there was a possibility she would spend the rest of her life with whoever spoke those words to her.

Kara pulled her from her musing, as she tried to change the movie to one of her other choices. She took great pleasure in pressing play and Kara instinctively ducked behind Alex, already voicing her dissent at the movie choice.

Eliza got home around 5 pm, hours earlier than she usually did. Alex was drunk, enough so that she got Kara to fly her everywhere. It made her head spin but she didn't want to risk falling down the stairs. Alex was singing a truly horrendous rendition of under the sea, Kara telling her to shush more than one time.

Alex didn't have a care in the world, as she let herself enjoy the movie. She didn't know what time it was, as she sipped straight out of a bottle of scotch. She knew she should hide the alcohol, or at least stop drinking before her mother got in but she couldn't bring herself to care. So that was how Eliza found her, Kara in the kitchen grabbing more snacks. She wasn't drunk enough to miss the disappointment in the greeting she got, along with the resigned happy birthday.

"I," Alex held the bottle up in the air, as she grinned at her mother. "Am very drunk right now."

"I can see that," Eliza sighed, and Alex just turned her focus back to the movie, waiting for Eliza to leave the room. "What about Kara's training."

"I called in, told them I wasn't coming." Alex hugged Kara as she shifted next to her, taking the support her sister offered. "I can miss one training."

"You shouldn't have to miss training because Alexandra wants to get drunk."

"I didn't want to," Alex scoffed and took a large swig before continuing. "I wanted the family breakfast we do every year, but someone decided work was more important."

"It was an emergency," Eliza sputtered, her eyes narrowing at Alex. "I had to go in."

"Were you the only doctor trained for that situation?"

"Well, Kara," Eliza stalled, and Alex felt the stab of pain through the haze. "It's more complicated than that."

Kara just shrugged and Alex leant her head on her shoulder. She twisted the cap on her scotch and looked at her mother with a glare. How effective it was in her state she didn't know, but she threw her next words with as much hatred as she could.

"Next time you chose the hospital over us, don't leave a note trying to make it all okay," Alex stood unsteadily, and advanced on Eliza. She put hands on her and walked her out of the spare room. "It just rubs salt in the wound."

With a final glare, Alex slammed the door and taking a step forward as her already spinning vision clouded over. She stumbled forward one more step and almost collapsed the fort, if not for Kara pulled her into a tight hug.

"You did so well."

"I've got you."

"It's going to be okay."

 

The next day was one of the worst Alex had ever experienced, including the day she found out her father had died. Eliza had yelled at her, multiple times throughout the day. About Kara, about the drinking, about school. Combined with the hour-long puking session when she woke up and the splitting headache she endured through, it left her feeling exhausted and more determined to move as far away as she possibly could. 

The next week had her applying to every university out of the state, hell out of the country. She sped through the last few months of school, staying close with Kara as she prepared to move, ignoring all Eliza's protests. In the week she was leaving, Eliza tried to reconcile, to help her out but on the day she needed a ride to the airport she was absent. Getting a bus to the airport sucked. 

So college started, and suddenly Alex had all the freedom she had been craving, as well as a challenging workload. The scholarship she had paid for everything except her food and personal expenses, she found her savings dropping quicker than expected. She got a job, at the local cinema, working hours no one else wanted. It was easy to work and the cash helped her stay afloat. Most of the others working there were nice and everything fell into a rhythm. 

For the most part, her marks were left ignored. Despite working at the cinema, she didn't really have time to focus on something personal. She worked and studied and worked some more, she tried to keep the peace with her mum despite her being not following the path Eliza wanted for her. She started ignoring the calls, telling herself she didn't want to stop studying, or some other excuse. The phone calls she did take became more violate, fighting more, Alex started letting more calls ring out. Kara tried to be a peacemaker, in the first few months, before it became too much for her. 

She tried to talk to Kara every day even it was just a text, and that worked for them. If they both had a free night, they would Skype and their bond was stronger than ever, despite the body of water separating them. She told Kara about her job, and Kara had shrieked, asking if she'd net her soul mate yet. 

It was a few months before that would happen, a midnight showing of Order of the Phoenix. She'd just knocked off work and was heading back to her dorm.

"I can't believe Dumbledore dies like that." Alex froze, turning to face two people sitting on a bench outside the cinema. "It was so stupid."

She blinked at the woman who hadn't noticed her, she was gorgeous Alex noted, as she tried to formulate her response. "Holy shit."

"What?" A startled face whipped to meet her gaze. "Hi."

"You're a woman," Alex stated. She blinked once more, Vicki suddenly flying into her mind as she gave a nervous smile to her soul mate.

"I am." The woman chuckled, and held out a hand to Alex. "Lucy Lane. It's nice to meet you."

"Alex Danvers."

"I'm going to head out, I'll message you later Luce?" Alex glanced at the woman sitting beside Lucy for the first time as he stood, Lucy, nodded and sent her on her way. Alex sat next to Lucy, trying to formulate something to say, other than holy shit, you a woman, and stunning, but I didn't know I liked women. 

"Not the context I thought it would be but," Lucy shrugged before smiling sadly at Alex. "We might be platonic soulmates if this shocked you so much."

"I hope not." Alex blurted out before her brain caught up with her mouth. She blushed vibrantly and looked at the ground. "I'm surprised, yes, but let's get to know each other before labels."

Lucy looked pleasantly surprised as she nodded, and they sat there in silence for a moment, both caught in their own thoughts.

"So what now?"

Lucy paused and pulled out her phone. "How about you give me your number, and we'll see what happens?"

"Okay." Alex took the offered phone, putting in her number and sending a message to herself. "Now I have yours as well. It was nice meeting you."

"You too." Alex stood, debating whether to hug Lucy or shake her hand. Lucy pulled her into a hug, and Alex couldn't help the small smile that crept on to her face. 

They parted ways, and Alex found herself walking home on autopilot her brain putting all of the puzzle pieces together. Her old friend Vicki, who she'd definitely had a crush on in hindsight, and the few people she'd slept with being more than a disappointment. It was a lot to process and she knew she was going to freak out later. 

She called Kara, who answered after a few rings, her voice still heavy with sleep. "Hello?"

"I met my soulmate today."

The earsplitting squeal Kara let out had Alex ripping the phone away from her ear. "Not so loud, you just woke up the entire neighbourhood."

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just so excited. What's he like? Is he tall? Does he have a moustache-"

"Woah, Kara." Alex took a breath and steadied her nerves. "She's really nice, and a little shorter than me."

"She?" Kara clarified. "Your soulmate's a girl?"

"Yeah." 

"Are you coming out to me?" Alex thanked Kara for her choice in words, but as she tried to answer she was left speechless. "It's okay, you don't have to answer that. I love you no matter who you're with."

"I love you too," Alex silently thanked her for the out, and she reached the door to her dorm. "I'm going to sleep now, I'll talk to you more tomorrow?"

"Sure, I have school, but call me when you can." 

"Will do. I love you." Alex hung up, and she pushed open the door to her room. She was pleased to see the bed opposite hers was empty, her roommate out for the night, and Alex didn't bother with changing as she flopped onto her bed, asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. 

She woke early, her sleep pattern ingrained from surfing before school. Usually, she would drift back to sleep, but her mind threw her back into last nights situation. She sat up, blinked the sleep from her eyes and set to work. She did what she'd been taught her whole life, a system that never failed to explain something to her, even if it took a few times. She wrote down her hypothesis, and she let her thoughts guide her. 

She had dated a boy in high school, Ben. He'd been captain of the football team, and the only reason she'd said yes to him was that Vicki had asked her to. They'd double dated until Ben had dumped her, calling her frigid. Vicki had broken up with her boyfriend in solidarity and they'd eaten ice cream and watched sappy movies all weekend. Alex remembered that night. They'd fallen asleep on the couch, and Alex had woken up with Vicki sprawled across her stomach. It had sent butterflies through her. 

It had only been a few weeks later that Vicki was dating someone else, and encouraging Alex to do the same. That was one of their first fights, but six months later they were barely speaking. Alex couldn't even remember what the fight had been about, but she did remember how often Vicki had cancelled on her. How they'd been drifting apart for a while. She remembered how much it had hurt after when it hadn't with Ben. It had sucked being called frigid but she hadn't been distraught like she had after Vicki stopped speaking to her. 

The results by noon were almost definite. She couldn't even remember the name of the guy she'd fucked in the first week of college. She felt more when she watched her chemistry lecturer in action, and she was a 40-year-old woman. Alex dropped her head on the desk, exhausted but feeling more like herself than she'd ever felt. She wondered how long she should wait before texting Lucy. Was there some etiquette she was needed to follow? She was pulled from her musings by her phone buzzing. She quickly unlocked it and chuckled as she saw Lucy's message.

[Lucy] **I realise you are probably freaking out now, and I don't want to overwhelm you, but do you want to go out tonight? I can answer any questions you may have and we can get to know each other a little better?**

Alex grinned, pleased to see her soulmate was as impatient as she was. She felt some nerves flutter around her stomach, and it took her a few attempts to word the message before sending it.

[Alex] **I'm not freaking out too much :) That sounds good, where do you want to go?**

[Lucy] **I was thinking maybe a movie followed by a stroll in the park?**

[Alex] **i actually work at the cinema, so let me set that up, I'll text you a time?**

[Lucy] **If you make me watch a western, I will never talk to you again."**

[Alex] **Glad we are in agreement :)**

Alex put her phone down and called into her work. One of the cinemas was undergoing renovations, and a few of the workers had taken advantage of it. As long as they didn't interfere with the progress, the boss turned a blind eye to them using the room. Most of her colleagues had brought people there, whether they had found their soulmate or not. It was one of their smaller rooms, so it created an intimate atmosphere. One promise to cover a shift later, and she'd organised a night showing of the very first Harry Potter movie. It was partially to test to see if Lucy would say the other line that sat on her arm, but mostly she panicked when asked what she wanted to play. 

The day flew by, with Alex spending the day researching in the library. She looked at all the different terms and identities, memorised slang and mostly, freaked out about the upcoming date. When she realised it was only an hour until she needed to be at the cinema, she almost flew into a panic. She raced back to her dorm, sending up a quick prayer before pushing open the door. She was greeted with low moans and she cursed the open plan room as her eyes flew away from the bed. As quickly as humanly possible, Alex got ready for the date. She threw together a small bag of food, snacks and a drink, and she pushed herself to move faster as she tried to ignore the moans growing louder. Throwing on some dark jeans, a plain shirt and snatching her leather jacket from the hanger on the door as she shot out of the room. 

She took a deep breath of fresh air as she walked out of her dorm building. The quiet clearing her mind as she started the short walk, as she tried to keep her nerves under control. Checking her phone, she pushed her pace as she realised she was a few minutes late. She half jogged all the way, only slowing when she was just out of sight of the building. Running a hand through her hair, she smoothed it out, hoping the simple half up, half down style wasn't too simple. As she rounded the corner, she saw Lucy. A leather jacket not all too different from hers had her nerves lessening, and the moment Lucy saw her, a smile and wave left Alex grinning. 

"Hey." Pleased when her voice didn't crack, and she offered her arm to Lucy. "You ready?"

Lucy took the offered arm, her hand resting just above Alex's elbow, just above her words and a small thrill rushed through Alex. This was the first date she would ever have with her soulmate, this would be the moment she would tell everyone about if it went well, or mourn if it didn't. "I am. Are you going to tell me what we're watching?"

"It's a surprise." She hoped Lucy appreciated her choice in the movie as she leads them into the cinema, bypassing the small crowd of people and catching the eye of Sara, who nodded and slipped out from behind the counter. Alex grinned, and lead Lucy through to the doors with the closed sign hanging. 

"Danvers, what-" Alex shushed her as she opened the door, gesturing for Lucy to go in first. 

"I'll be there in just a moment," Alex grinned at Lucy. "I just have to check in with Sara." 

She slipped out and through the employee door, moving quickly along the small corridor as she found the correct room. She opened the door and Sara was fiddling with the projector, making sure everything was in order. "Why didn't you tell me you were into girls?" 

"I didn't know."

"Wow." Sara chuckled. "Is she your soulmate?" At Alex's nod, she whistled and gave Alex a comforting pat on the shoulder. "What a way to figure that out, good luck Danvers." 

"Thanks," She gave Sara wave before pulling the door open. "I think I'm going to need it." 

Alex gave Sara a small wave as she left the room, making her way back to Lucy. Slipping into the dark room, Lucy's phone helping Alex find her, and she slipped into the seat beside her. Lucy shutting off her phone after a moment, while Alex pulled out the drinks handing one to Lucy. 

"I hope this is okay," Alex spoke softly, as the lights faded out, and the movie began. Lucy laughed when she realised what was playing. 

"Harry Potter? It's perfect." Lucy offered up her hand, and Alex looked at it for a moment before taking it. The world didn't implode, the movie didn't stop, but it still made Alex feel more than she ever had kissing a boy. The sudden relief that shot through her, that she was normal, the confirmation that she'd just been looking at the wrong people her whole life. It took a weight off her chest that she didn't realise she'd been holding and she felt herself relaxing even more. 

"How are you handling everything?" Lucy murmured, not turning her head as she spoke. 

Alex took a moment and answered as honestly as she could. "The first few hours were rough, I won't lie. But I thought about it, and I spoke to my sister. And then I filled a notebook with every encounter I can remember. I do not like men." 

Lucy chuckled and they both let the movie play out as they talked. Alex learnt about Lucy's family, the General who made her life hell and the sister then left her. The constant moving and her first sapphic experience on a base in America. Alex, in turn, told Lucy all about Jeremiah, about the surfing tournament she'd won and how she would have travelled around the country if Kara hadn't come live with them. She told Lucy a watered down version of after Kara came to live with them, keeping her alien heritage a secret. 

The movie finished, but they didn't notice. Talking until Sara knocked on the door, startling them both. "If you're naked you have 30 seconds to put on clothes before I'm coming in." 

"We're decent," Alex called back, Lucy chuckling beside her. Sara pushed the door open, an apologetic smile on her face. 

"I'm sorry to break this up," She started, but Alex just nodded. 

"You need to close up. We'll head out. Thanks for tonight."

"Anytime," Sara smirked. "You'll cover a shift when I need you too?"

Alex chuckled at Sara. "I got you covered whenever you need me too."

Alex threw the cups into the bin and she waved goodbye to Sara as they stepped into the cool night air. Alex took a deep breath, the night air washing over her. The streetlight illuminating the town, as they slowly walked, not wanting the night to end but unsure how to continue. 

"I'd suggest a walk in the park, but it's late." Alex nodded her agreement and let herself run through places she knew would be open. 

"We should get something to eat," Alex lit up, grabbing Lucy's hand and dragging her along at an impressive pace. When Lucy questioned her and tugged her back to a reasonable pace, she blushed and gave an embarrassed laugh. "I remembered that the pancake place is open twenty-four hours." 

"Pancakes sound amazing." Lucy laughed, and they walked the two blocks to the pancake kitchen, there were a few other groups scattered around. Checking her phone it was close to midnight and she thanked Sara for leaving them as late as she could. They slid into a booth, their knees in contact and a minute of silence as they ordered what they wanted. Alex treating herself to a short stack with ice cream and chocolate, with Lucy choosing the crepes. They decided to share a strawberry and baileys, the whipped cream calling to them. 

The topics were lighter in the public area, focusing more on their interests and hobbies. They stayed in their booth until the tendrils of sun started to come up, both feeling the effects of the number of drinks they'd ended up consuming. As the night had progressed they'd ended up pressed against each other, hands joint and Alex having more than a few moments where she caught herself staring at Lucy's lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss her. She didn't say a word about her other line, unsure if it would scare away Lucy. So she kept her mouth shut and let herself forget about the words for the night.

The early morning chill, the arms slung around each other, to keep the contact they both craved. Alex hadn't stopped smiling all night and she knew their date was about to come to an end. They walked to the uni, and Alex leads them to her room. Standing in front of the door, Alex struggled to pull out her keys with one hand, Lucy firmly attached to the other. 

"I won't disappear if you let go," Alex teased, grinning as she pulled out the keys, finding the correct one. She unlocked the door without thought, tugging Lucy into the room. They were greeted with noises that had Alex sighing, and moving out to shut the door. "My roommate found her soulmate a few weeks ago." 

"I think meeting your soulmate a day ago tops that," Lucy smirked at Alex. "We could show them how loud we could be." 

Alex spluttered, and her cheeks warmed to a violent blush. "I-"

"Fuck, I'm sorry." 

"No," Alex regained control of herself, and let herself process what Lucy meant. "We should."

It was Lucy turn to choke on her words, but she recovered quickly. "Are you sure?" 

Alex thought for a moment before nodding. "We get along well, this is pretty much the thing that I'm unsure about. I feel safe with you, I know it's really only been a few hours but I do. I want to do this." 

"I didn't mean to-" Alex cut Lucy's apology off.

"We aren't in high school," Alex smirked at Lucy. "I know what I want and if you want it as well, let's do it."

"Even though we will likely be giving your roommate and some random," Lucy paused as a loud curse came through the door. "You know what, if you're sure, let's do it." 

Alex grinned, and the nerves in her stomach stayed but she pushed passed them, the slight buzz she had helping her. She tucked a piece of hair behind Lucy's ear before leaning forwards, their foreheads meeting. "Can I kiss you?"

Lucy didn't answer, instead closing the final distance between them. Lucy was soft and sweet, the kiss igniting a heat inside her. She deepened the kiss, letting her tongue ask for entrance. Lucy obliged and the kiss intensified, Lucy pushing her against the door. They broke apart, breathing hard as they took a moment.

"You still sure?" Lucy checked. "We can just make out for a while if you want."

"I more than sure," Alex husked, not wasting another moment, flipping them and pressing Lucy into the door before reclaiming her mouth. Hands wandering undershirts, losing themselves as they made out. 

"Get a room," A student yelled, but as they glanced away from each other, they got a wide grin and thumbs up. Alex chuckled, before glancing back at Lucy. 

"How about we take this inside?" Lucy nodded, and Alex quickly found the key she'd dropped. Slipping into her dorm, both girls ignoring the moans and joining themselves back together, Alex dropping her bag on the floor as she let her hands wander under Lucy's shirt, rubbing circles on her hip. "Can I take off you-"

Alex cut off as Lucy ripped the shirt over her head, watching as Alex took in the expanse of flesh. "Yours?"

Alex blinked a few times, the tan skin shooting heat directly to her core. "Holy fuck, I am so gay."

Lucy chuckled and gently pushed Alex to the bed, straddling her. Alex broke out of her trance and lifted her shirt off. She was pleased when Lucy went a little slack-jawed, a muttered 'abs' the only response. Alex pulled her close, kissing her with more lust and intent than before, before kissing down to her neck. Lucy gasped when Alex nipped her, the teeth replaced with a soothing tongue.

Neither noticed when the opposite bed quietened, or the disgusted scoff. The door slamming caused them to pause noting the absence of people. Alex took Lucy's momentary distraction to lift her, her hands on Lucy's ass as she shifted them so she was laying over Lucy. She let her eyes run over the exposed skin and the panting girl watching her, and she grinned. This was what it was supposed to feel like. 

Despite their night without sleep, they sated each other again and again. It was close to midday when they fell asleep, Alex tugging the sheet over them as they snuggled on the small bed. It was dark by the time they woke up, the feeling of waking up at night jarring. Alex took a moment to watch Lucy, her soulmate, her eyes running over exposed skin with fondness as she thought back on the night before. Her eyes caught sight of the dark marking on her arm, Lucy shifting before she could read the words. 

Alex shifted her arm out from under Lucy, doing her best to let the girl sleep. She ran a finger over the words Lucy said to her before the second line jumped out at her. Why did she have another line, if she and Lucy worked so well together? Was the universe fucking with her, or did the words mean she had another soulmate? She was caught up in her mind and didn't realise Lucy had woken up, a hand suddenly running over the words startling her. She yelped, her voice higher than she would have liked.

Lucy laughed, her eyes sparkling before they focused down onto the words again. "I can't believe your actually my soulmate." 

"Do you have another line as well?" Alex murmured, kissing Lucy on the forehead as a good morning, tugging her close. Lucy showed her arm, and Alex had to twist to read the words, but the same words echoed on Lucy's arm. 

_Holy fuck._

"Both of your lines are amazement at meeting you, that sounds right." Alex chuckled, as she ran a finger over the words. "What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure," Lucy snuggled closer to Alex. "I'm happy with you, and if we ever hear them we deal with it together, we deal with it then."

They parted ways that night, Alex having a load of coursework to do and Lucy having her own things to deal with. They spent the next four months dating and forming their bond into something unbreakable. Alex working towards her MD/PhD and Lucy spending her time working as a waitress. Both thriving even on the hard days where nothing was going well, they knew they had someone in their court. 

Alex came out to Eliza, who took it better than she thought, but it didn't stop a few comments weeks later about drawing attention to herself. She couldn't do anything about the fact and she told Eliza as much before hanging up. The next was spend proving just how much she enjoyed her girlfriend. It was good until it wasn't.

Lucy had walked into her dorm the next day with fear in her eyes and a letter in her hand. Her father was calling her in, had already enrolled her in the military academy, and booked her flight for next month. She would be heading to DC, a very long way away from National City, and she didn't know how long she'd be staying there. It threw Alex for a loop though, she knew how Lucy's views differed from her fathers, so why she still ran when he called baffled her.

They fought about it, for a single day, when Alex realised she had limited time with Lucy and needed to make the most of their numbered days. They alternated houses, not wanting to spend a night without the other, no matter how crazy the day got. Alex organised skype so that Lucy wouldn't have to worry about it, and then they spent every free moment they had affirming their bond. The night before Lucy's flight, they recreated the night of their first date, without the movie as the renovations had finished. The pancake house staff that knew them by name, as they tried to go there as often as they could, were sad to hear that Lucy was going and they got a free Sunday, extra chocolate. 

They fell into bed and held each other. Taking in the last time they would fall asleep together for the foreseeable future, they were in the tightest embrace, trying to memorise each other in the last moments. It had hurt, waking up together for the last time, and they spent every second they could just holding each other. Unsure as to when they would get to see each other again. Alex cried a lot, at the airport, when she'd had to hug Lucy for the last time. 

She sat, watching the plane take off, and then at the sky. Waiting for Lucy to jump out and tell her it was an elaborate prank. But the sun started setting, and Alex accepted her new reality. She would be alone again. They had skype and the internet, but Alex knew it wouldn't be the same. So she got up, made her way to the bus station and waited. Autopilot took over and she didn't remember getting on the bus much less the hour-long ride to her apartment, but she was in front of the door searching for her keys. 

She unlocked the door and didn't pay enough attention. She was greeted with her roommates making eye contact with her, as she rode her boyfriend. Blinking, she looked away, pulled out her earphones and got ready for bed. Sliding into it she faced the wall, trying her best to fall asleep. It was cold, and she kept reaching out behind her expecting there to be someone else. But she was alone, her roommate had a soulmate to sleep with, and she had to deal with it. 

She must have fallen asleep, because she was being shaken aggressively when she woke up, blearily blinking at the blonde hair in front of her. 

"What." Alex snapped, rubbing her eyes as she tried to absorb the situation. "Is there a fire?" 

"You can't do that." 

"What?" Her eyes clearing she realised it was only her roommate, and it was probably nothing. She laid back down, muttering before she pulled the rug over her head. "Leslie, seriously, bother someone else."

"It's bad enough I have to share a room with a dyke." Alex flinched at the term but stayed under the covers. "You totally perved last night. I'd really appreciate if you could just stay out if I'm with my soulmate."

"Fuck off." Alex stuck a hand out of the rugs, her middle finger raised. "I'm going back to sleep."

"I'll get you thrown out of school for that." 

"Good luck," Alex murmured, already half asleep. "I wish you the best of luck." 

Alex spent the next few months in what felt like agony. Not only had Lucy left, and they only got to speak once a week, with internet so slow they could barely hold a conversation. It sucked. What made the whole situation worse was the roommate from hell. She'd come home to slurs painted on her desk, her bed, her books. Anything that could be painted was. Leslie constantly harassed her, tried to report her for things she hadn't done and generally made the last few months of her living in the dorm hell. 

She ended up out in a club more nights as the harassment continued, choosing to get drunk or high instead. It made Leslie much easier to ignore. A few months break, and it was worse. This roommate was friends of Leslie, but she got violent. Twice Alex had to pick glass out of herself because a cup had been thrown at her. 

Lucy didn't know about any of it, Alex instead choosing to tell her about the funny lab rats that were accidentally dyed purple, or the professor that set his arm on fire and didn't realise until the alarm went off. Kara visited her once a month, and it was always a race against time to hide all the words on her stuff, the bottles of alcohol scattered around. 

It had worked, and Kara had remained innocent of her self destructing ways. She didn't even speak to Eliza anymore, every call being declined. It hurt less than being called a failure, and that hurt was drowned away with alcohol. Before she knew it, a year had passed, and she only remembered pieces of it. 

She had one clear memory. Lucy yelling at her. And telling her some horrible things, and then leaving. She'd left. Alex didn't even get to hug her before she was slamming the door behind her. That was one of her worst nights. She drank until she couldn't see, passing out in some bar. 

She woke up in that same bar, but it turns out it wasn't a bar. She woke up with a killer headache and a churning stomach. in the pancake kitchen. The staff there must have taken pity on her because there was a bottle of water and a packet of painkillers. She thanked them all profusely as she made her way back to her dorm. 

She opened the door, ready to collapse onto her bed and sleep until she was ready to go out again. But the paper was strewn all over her bed. All over her floor. She rubbed her head, not ready to deal with whatever psycho roommate had done today. She looked at the covers arranged along the head of her bed, her fury increasing as she realised what had happened. 

Her medical journals. Her textbooks. The journal her father had written that was the only thing she had left of him. Lying in pieces across her bed. The next week she didn't remember a second of, but her roommate didn't bother her anymore so she didn't look into it too much. She attended a total of three lectures in that semester, and the letter of academic probation didn't surprise her one bit.

She almost messaged Lucy after that. Almost. Before she remembered why they didn't talk anymore. Reminding herself that Lucy had probably moved on, and was thriving while she sunk lower and lower. That night wasn't about forgetting her problems and dealing with them later. Alex was drinking herself to death. She went in with the thought, and she got thrown out of that bar with the thought. 

She hadn't even blacked out when the police arrested her. She was admittedly in a slightly compromised situation, but she finished her piss and then look at the officers with the confidence only the drunk have and asked if they were having a good night. She was thrown in a cell, and that was the moment she hit rock bottom. Sitting alone in a cell, waiting for someone to come, with no-one who would come. 

Hank was the one who saved her. Who took her in and gave her a second chance to pull her life together. 2 weeks to get sober, then a year in training. She took the chance, and despite the 12 hour days that left her dead on her feet. She didn't even blink an eye as she lied to her mother and her sister about what she was doing. A year of being an alcoholic did that to a person. 

Lucy was often on her mind, what she was doing, where she was. That was the hardest thing to deal with as she sobered up, knowing that she'd pushed her own soulmate away. Even if she had one line on her arm that gave her hope, she didn't want to put another person through the same turmoil, the pain she knew she'd inflicted on Lucy.

So she trained and trained and trained. For a year, without days off, without a break. She became squad leader 2 months later, the youngest to do so. At 21 years old she had to be pulled from jail, but by 25 she was second in command in a secret government organisation tasked with protecting the earth. It felt good. 

Kara had finished her degree and was working as an intern in Catco, the only intern to survive under Cat Grants standards. Alex got an apartment near her sister, and they did once a week sister nights. Alex let herself have a scotch after work or a glass of wine with dinner and she didn't have a problem. Everything was going the way it was supposed to.

Kara saved her. She had almost died and all Eliza had to say was Kara shouldn't have revealed herself. Alex should have done better. That was the first night she drank to get drunk, in many years, and it didn't feel good like it used to. It got rid of the pain but everything was moving and she couldn't focus. She passed out in her bathtub. 

She came out as Supergirl, and Alex couldn't have been prouder of her baby sister. She no longer had to hide where she worked, and they were closer than ever. Kara once asked her once after Lucy, whether she'd found her soulmate. One time and Alex had yelled at her. But Alex couldn't help but wonder, every time she introduced herself as secret service, whether she'd hear the words etched on her arm. Below the words that burnt her every time she looked. 

It was a fun game she played with herself, letting her hopes rise and fall. She didn't date anyone, didn't even have a one night stand, instead focusing on her work and saving lives. It worked to a degree. It stopped working the day she walked into Catco, a large bag of potstickers in one arm as she searched for her sister. She found her standing with one almost man and a woman who turned around and stole Alex's breath.

"Lucy." No-one else noticed how she flinched when those familiar eyes met hers, shock hidden behind a wall of iron. She tried to keep herself calm, present a unified front to the woman she used to think she'd spend her life with."How've you been?"

"Good," Lucy spoke sharply, eyes dropping from Alex's as soon as she could. The tension in the room almost audible as Lucy spoke. "This is James, my boyfriend." 

"Oh," Of course the man Kara wanted to date was currently dating her soulmate. Alex instead shoved aside the knife Lucy had plunged into her and let her agent mask slip into place. She gave a smile to them and avoided any eye contact. "I'm so happy for you, I'd love to catch up, but I have to head back to work."

Alex gave a small wave to James, a nod that said nice to meet you, and she turned on her heel and stalked out of there. Holding her head high she ignored the stares as she felt tears slipping out. She made it all the way to her bike, parked out the front of Catco before she broke, slipping her helmet on. She let the tears fall, the loss she felt in her heart incomparable to any of the injuries she'd dealt with in combat. 

She hadn't been expecting to see Lucy again, had expected her to avoid National City. She couldn't blame her ex for finding someone new, maybe James was the one who spoke the other line on her arm. That would be the cherry on top, Lucy replacing her with a new soulmate while Alex fell more in love with her job. 

Her vision was still blurred when she slipped onto her bike, but she could see Lucy walking out of the elevator with James, and she couldn't deal with that. She needed time to process, to accept, and to move forward so she could be amicable with her. 

Starting up her Ducati, she let the purring engine run for a few seconds, calming her before she took off, into the streets. Weaving through traffic until she was out of sigh of Catco, from the city, and then a little further. She was on a forest road, somewhere up a mountain. She shut off her bike, after pulling into a small rest stop. A patch of dirt off the road, isolated and alone.

Alex screamed, her frustrations lost to the wind. She let herself cry and yell and punched a tree so hard she had to pull bark out of her knuckles. The silence around her, the occasional car whizzing past, let her deal with the flurry of emotions running through her. 

The last time she saw Lucy was back in college, only a few months before she'd met J'onn. Lucy had just graduated from West Point and was coming back to see Alex being she was shipped off to war. Alex didn't remember answering the phone, but she couldn't forget the furious look on Lucy's face when she strode into the dorm room. 

Some alcohol strong enough [read: cheap enough] to strip paint, being sipped from the bottle. Lucy had snatched it from Alex, and spent the next hour dealing with drunk Alex. Over affectionate drunk Alex who had thrown herself back into the closet after Lucy had left.

She'd tried dating women, but her mother kept on nagging her about school, or Kara, or something that she was fucking up on. Despite being top of her class, and working with Stanford on a study on genetics. A college she didn't even attend had sought her out and asked her to work with them. So she'd thrown herself further into her work, doing everything she could to seek her mother's approval. 

Kara moved halfway across the country for an arts degree and Alex was stuck with the Eliza. Despite the fact that Kara was superpowered, and could literally be in Midvale in a second. Alex was the one who had to travel to her, Alex had to fly to Kara. She loved her sister, but she started to resent her, the standards she could never reach but was expected to rise above. 

She let herself mourn the relationship that she hadn't ever realised had ended. She'd been living with a deluded hope that maybe one day they'd find each other again. She'd been right, she just hadn't expected the boyfriend. So she drove home, pulled up to her parking spot and was greeted with the last person she wanted to see. 

Lucy was sat on the steps, a bored look on her face as she tapped away on her phone. Alex considered turning back, but Lucy glanced up and saw Alex. Her face went through a rollercoaster of expressions, as Alex buzzed them in, holding the door open as Lucy passed through.

"So how are you?" Alex scoffed, the casual tone Lucy held infuriating her. "Fine. I'll skip the politeness. What the hell happened to you?"

"I'm not the one who showed up out of the blue with a boyfriend," Alex snapped, exhausted and emotional, not wanting to dive back into her college days. "So, I think I should be asking you what the hell happened?"

Lucy raised her hands, palms towards Alex as they stood in the elevator. "I spoke to your lecturers before I left, you were only just passing in classes you had been excelling in 6 months earlier. What happened that you hid from me?"

"I didn't hide anything." Alex's finger automatically traced the small scar on the back of her hand. From the second time glass had been thrown at her. "The classes just got too difficult."

"Bullshit." Lucy scoffed, as Alex unlocked her apartment and pushed inside. They kicked off their shoes and Alex strode into the kitchen, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and offering one to Lucy. She took it and they moved to the couch, a painful distance apart. "You were top of your class when I left, a year later and you'd flunked three of your favourite subjects. That doesn't just happen overnight." 

"It does for some people." She knew she was folding, Lucy pushing her. Memories flashing through her mind. "How'd the army treat you, DADT still alive and well?" 

"Fuck you," Lucy growled, glaring at Alex. "Why are you so angry with me? What did I do that was so horrible, being drunk was the only way you could cope." 

"It wasn't you," Alex softened for a moment. "I- look, everything just got a lot more intense and I struggled. It happens."

"You got arrested for pissing on a church, Alex." Alex heard everything that wasn't said. The fact that she was a failure, a disappointment and a letdown. She hadn't been able to hold herself together and everyone loved to remind her of that. 

"She ripped up my medical books that night." Alex laughed dryly, her voice monotonous as she spoke. "And Jeremiah's journal. A week before that she threw out all my clothes. The week before she threw a glass at me," Alex lifted her shirt, pointing out the scar, it used to be alone, but now it sat next to the bullet wound she took on her first mission as the leader. 

"Is that a bullet-"

"First mission with the d- FBI. A routine mission gone wrong, wrong place wrong time," Alex scoffed. "That's not what you want to hear about though. You want to hear about Alex Danvers fall from grace."

"Alex-"

"It started the day after you left," Alex cut in, her voice thick as memories overtook her. "She called me a dyke and a few months pass and everything I owned had red paint on it. It was painted above my bed for a while before they painted over it. That sucked." Alex felt a tear fall, but she kept going, her voice rough. "It was bearable though, in retrospect. At least she didn't destroy my medical files, or leave me with physical evidence of how much of a failure I'll always be."

"You're not a failure," Lucy reached out with a hand, Alex batted it away. 

"No," She said firmly. "You don't get to do that. Comfort me after 7 years of not giving a shit. I drank to keep myself sane. Not that night, but I didn't kill myself, so that's something at least." 

"I'm sorry." Lucy didn't have the pity in her voice that most people did. Alex glanced over and the hardened mask was over her face. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I didn't want to worry you, I wanted you to think I was okay."

"You should have told me." 

"Probably." Alex shrugged, and took a deep breath, pulling herself back to the present. "No use dwelling on the past, Hank saved me and that's all that matters. Did you end up going into the army?" 

"Two tours. I got back a month ago." Alex nodded, that explained how closed off she seemed. "Fought a lot of innocent people in the name of freedom. Killed a lot of them. But I'm home now, and I'm going to be a lawyer."

"I- I'm glad you're safe." 

"So am I." 

Alex bit the bullet. "Is James your soulmate?" 

"No, but I like him a lot. Have you met-"

"No." Lucy nodded. "What do we do now?" 

"We live our lives, see if we can look past out history and be friends?" 

"Okay." Alex agreed, and Lucy drained the last of her beer and stood to leave. "For what it's worth, it's good to see you again."

"You too," Lucy smiled, the first Alex had seen all night and the door shut behind her and Alex slumped. She didn't drink herself into oblivion, and she counted that as a win. And for the next few days, as she fought to get rid of the old ghosts she'd dredged up, she didn't touch alcohol, knowing what it would do to her. 

Over the course of a few months, they became friends. It was tentative and awkward at times, but they put in the effort and got to know each other again. Then Lucy started working with the Deo, and James dumped her and everything happens in quickfire and suddenly they were working together. 

Almost a year passes, and the underlying tension between them has been growing. Lucy took over the desert base and Alex being second in command at the city base meant a lot of time working to be the most effective team they could be. Lucy is often running teams that Alex leads in the field, and that's no different when the president lands on the tarmac and is shot at by some alien. Lucy barking orders in the comms, before giving up and getting on her bike to help contain and deal with the situation. 

Alex waves to Lucy, before noticing a cop poking around her crime scene. She nods to Lucy, who moves to the crowd, talking to people as Alex deals with the local law enforcement. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing in my crime scene?"

"Anyone ever tell you, all you Feds sound the same?" Alex paused, the words striking a bell in her memory. "It's like you all watch the same bad movies together at Quantico." 

Alex froze, eyes locked with Maggie. She glanced off to the small crowd, glancing around before finding her target. She cupped her hands around her mouth and projected her voice across the tarmac. "Lucy, you need to get over here." 

Alex saw the nod and turned back to a very confused cop. Alex pulled out her badge, remembering to switch it to from DEO at the last second. "Alex Danvers, secret service."

"Detective Maggie Sawyer, NCPD science division." Holding up badge Alex nodded before Lucy came into earshot. 

"I'm sure you mean well, detective," Lucy stood next to Alex, watching as Maggie froze up with her words. "But this is a federal crime scene. You're contaminating my evidence." 

"Holy fuck." 

"Wait." Lucy glanced at Alex. "She said your line as well?" 

Alex nodded and Maggie just glanced between them. "There's two of you." 

"Afraid so." Alex laughed, fate was enjoying this shitshow, she just knew it. "I can't believe this, how the hell did this happen?" 

"Fate's an asshole." Lucy nodded at Alex, a grin on her face. "Sorry, uh-"

"Detective Maggie Sawyer." 

"Right," Lucy nodded, "How about I give you my number, and we get a drink tonight. Talk about this."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Alex smirked, glancing at Lucy.

"We end up fucking in a dorm room." Lucy shook her head at Alex, before turning to Maggie. "It's complicated." 

"Clearly," The woman chuckled, before handing Lucy her phone. "I get off at 5, let me know a place and I'll be there if only to hear more of your hijinks." 

"It's a date," Alex grinned, waving as she spun around to walk back to her team. Lucy keeping pace with her. "Well, how do you feel about giving us a round two?" 

"I'm not sure about anything," Lucy sighed, glancing back at the detective. "But I think we should try."

**Author's Note:**

> This is the biggest thing I've ever written and 6 thousand of those words were written in one sitting. I'm posting this at 6am, I haven't really edited it so I apologise for that! Let me know what you thought in the comments or on [tumblr](https://mr-alex-unofficially.tumblr.com/)  
> ps. if the first section is super familiar that's cause i posted that, and then changed a major part of the story. Sorry about that!


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